Tough Cleveland State dorm policies spark student backlash

Cleveland State's Euclid Commons, when it was under construction in 2012.Marvin Fong, Plain Dealer file

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As Cleveland State University transforms into a more residential campus, it has imposed some of the strictest dorm policies around, sparking complaints from some students who say the rules are overbearing.

Two changes in particular have struck a nerve. Residents of CSU's three dorms are forbidden from bringing in guests between 2 and 6 a.m., and students of drinking age are not allowed to posses more than a six-pack of beer or one bottle of wine or spirits.

Some students over 21 say the university is treating them like children, and taking away some of the fun of college life. University officials say the rules are necessary for everyone's well-being.

Kaila Montgomery, a 23-year-old who plays for the CSU Vikings women's basketball team, said the rules prompted her to move out of Euclid Commons, a modern, four-story dorm that's part of the new campus look on Euclid Avenue.

Montgomery took issue with a rule that forbid her from drinking beer in the presence of an underage roommate. She also was miffed she was not allowed to have friends crash in her dorm room when they returned after a night out.

She said that on separate occasions, she was denied requests to put up her boyfriend and a brother, both of whom were visiting from her hometown in Ontario, Canada.

"It was absolutely absurd," Montgomery said. "No visitors from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. That just encourages drinking and driving."

University officials said there had been some alcohol and conduct problems at Euclid Commons, but they changed the rules last spring after studying policies at the University of Pittsburgh and other colleges. The changes were recommended by American Campus Communities, a Texas company that manages CSU's dorms, said university spokesman Joe Mosbrook.

"Basically, we had grown too big for our old policies and needed to have stricter guidelines," Megan Nicholson, CSU's director of student life, said in an email. "We looked at other schools ... and they each have restrictions similar to what we put in place."

Before the rule changes, students 21 and older could have an unlimited amount of alcohol, though beer kegs and other party containers were forbidden. Up to six guests had been allowed per dorm room, but now the limit is two guests per person and up to four guests per room.

CSU officials said the rule forbidding visitors from entering between 2 and 6 a.m. was imposed becausethey were concerned about the "after-bar crowd" coming into the dorms.

"I'm sorry, but I have to balance safety against someone's need to bring someone home they just met at the bar," James Drnek, dean of students and vice provost for student affairs, said in a recent interview.

Mosbrook said that because CSU is an urban campus, the university is sensitive to parents' safety concerns. About 1,200 students live on the campus, which is undergoing a makeover from a commuter school to a more residential college.

The changes have reduced vandalism and alcohol-related incidents, he said.

But living at CSU means students are under closer watch than their counterparts at other area colleges.

At Euclid Commons, students must pass a security desk, swipe a card and push through a turnstile, similar to those at subway stations, to access the living area. Students may have their bags searched for alcohol. Guests must sign in and relinquish their driver's licenses at the front desk while they are there. Security officers are posted in each dorm nightly from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m..

"For the price you pay, it's like living in prison," said Alberto Paneccasio, 23, a Euclid Commons resident. "You have cameras everywhere. Outside, inside, in the elevator .. . Outside of every stairwell, there's a camera."

The policies are a far cry from the free-wheeling dorm life that many older people experienced when they werein college. Most institutions over the years have imposed tougher drug, alcohol and conduct policies. Using swipe cards to access residence halls is common.

Like CSU, other colleges, including the University of Akron and Kent State University, forbid dorm residents 21 and older from having alcohol in the presence of underage students.

Baldwin Wallace University limits alcohol per dorm resident of drinking age to a case of beer, two bottles of wine or one bottle of spirits -- or "a reasonable combination." John Carroll University does not limit the amount of alcohol a student of drinking age can bring into the room. Both BW and John Carroll do limit dorm visitors of the opposite sex after certain hours.

But other local colleges contacted for this story said they do not have policies as strict as CSU's on late-night guests and alcohol.

"It's like your parents moving here with you," said CSU student Kevin Vargo, 20, a former roommate of Paneccasio's who said the policies prompted him to move from Euclid Commons to off-campus housing last spring.

Paneccasio, a writer for the Cleveland Stater student newspaper, reported in January that the rules were prompting students to move out of the dorms. The newspaper reported that about 90 students moved out over winter break, some compelled by the new restrictions.

CSU spokesman Mosbrook disputed that students left due to the policies. He said students can't break housing contracts because they don't like the rules. Those who moved out did so because they graduated, left school or had other issues that allowed them to break their housing contracts, he said.

Mosbrook also said, "We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from students who like the rules. We have a lot of hard-working people in the dorms who don't want to hear people partying all night."

The friction may be growing pains of a campus in transformation. Despite that, CSU anticipates the dorms will be sold out next fall, as they were this school year.

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